#RolandMartinUnfiltered - A Brutal Attack on Workers and Unions | Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal-Chapter 7

Episode Date: November 2, 2024

Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal-Chapter 7: A Brutal Attack on Workers and Unions  In this episode of Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal, we see the real-life effects of this assault on unions and workers. In our fictional story, two legendary high school football players, Turk Foster and DeAndre McCollum, still relish their past glory.  But they are struggling to navigate the rule changes proposed by Project 2025  that undercut the power of unions and tilt the playing field in favor of the employers to the detriment of employees. Turk struggles with his job as a union electrician as wages and job security diminish. He feels the weight of expectation on his son, who may soon forgo football to support the family by taking a job, previously off limits to teenagers in a plant in town. DeAndre’s wife, a nurse, has had her hours cut and has to cope with last minute schedule changes that disrupt their family life. In the second half of the episode, Bruce Lipton, the fictional  private equity executive, plays golf with his HR consultant Dudley Brennan.  Their conversation reveals the ruthless cost-cutting measures undertaken by their firm, Bald Eagle Capital, and the broader privatized economy shaped by the election of Donald Trump and the deregulation as proposed in Project 2025. Dudley lists strategies like eliminating union protections, utilizing young workers—including hiring teenagers for hazardous jobs—and reducing overtime expenses. Despite his discomfort with these practices, Bruce feels pressured to comply with the aggressive corporate tactics that prioritize profit over worker safety and rights, reflecting an uncomfortable tension between his upbringing in a union household and the cutthroat world of private equity. The chapter concludes with Bruce's disillusionment leading him to leave the golf course, symbolizing his internal conflict over the ethical implications of his work.   We'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode: Wendell Pierce and Fisher Stevens who read the chapters and others who contributed character voices.   Sound design by Marilys Ernst  and Jon MoserTrump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal is written by David Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jo Peltier and Jay Feldman and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and The Bill Press Pod.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Hello, I'm Bill Press, host of the Bill Press Pod, and we're back with another episode of Trump's Project 2025, Up Close and Personal. Chapter 7, a brutal attack on workers and unions. Of course, Donald Trump's well known for treating his employees poorly and stiffing contractors that work for him. Now, he and Project 2025 want to bring this repulsive attitude towards labor to the national scene. Here's just a hint of what Donald Trump thinks about workers. Overtime, I used to hate to pay overtime. When I was in the private sectors, they say, oh, I don't want overtime.

You know, I shouldn't tell you this. I'd go out and get other people and let them work regular time. That's terrible. I'd say, don't get me 10 other guys. I don't want to have time and a half. In addition to making it more difficult to unionize workers, Project 2025 would bring to a second Trump term a relaxation of safety standards for teenagers working in dangerous occupations, a practice already happening in some red states. How those relaxed regulations would work out in practice is the subject of the first story in Chapter 7. It's narrated by actor

Wendell Pierce, a fierce advocate for freedom and democracy. We know him from his work on The Wire, Treme, and the Jack Ryan series on Amazon Prime. Wendell Pierce tells the story of DeAndre McCollum and Turk Foster. Capital Monthly. DeAndre McCollum, Rose Cunningham, Mannheim, Pennsylvania. Two legends baking in the hot sun. Turk Foster and DeAndre McCollum. T&D, the good people of Mannheim, Pennsylvania call them. Hall of Famers. Goats.

People still flocked to T&D and restaurants, bought them beers in bars, snapped selfies and grabbed autographs as they worked, and crowded them at Friday nights when the whole town gathered to cheer on the Barons of Mannheim Central High School. For both, the adulation remained an honor. They couldn't believe it never faded. But when DeAndre and Turk truly wanted to relive their glory days on the gridiron, they didn't do it surrounded by admirers. They sat alone. Because when alone, they'd relive it in a way only they could, speaking a language only

they understood, recalling every formation, dissecting the theory behind each play and the execution, and celebrating the magic when they'd executed a play perfectly, triggering the biggest moments of their playing careers. For twenty years they had huddled in the corner of a dive bar or an acquired booth of their favorite diner, swapping memories. But for the past two years, the best place to catch them became Mannheim Central itself, looking out over the field where so much of their glory had happened. In the heat of late July, Mannheim football kicked off its tour days. When work allowed it, Turk and DeAndre sat together in the bleachers. Few would tolerate the 98 degree heat, humid air, so it was actually

just them. And in this setting, they didn't just relive it all. They watched the practices with special interest in two particular players. A quarterback and a running back. Their sons, Turk Jr. and LaShawn. Sophomores, their two boys were competing for varsity after playing together on JV. And middle school. And grade school. Having switched out of his police uniform into black athletic shorts and a crisp white tee, DeAndre jogged up the eight steps to join Turk in the front row.

Daily workouts kept DeAndre almost as ripped as he had been in school, just as the barber he had gone to for decades kept his hair in the same buzz cut fade he had sported back in the day. Turk had put on some weight, now carrying 220 pounds on his 6'1 frame. Always clean-shaven, he wore a Mannheim baseball cap to go along with his tan shorts and blue golf shirt. LaShawn is flying out there, D. Reminds me of your moves back in the day. DeAndre let out one of his famously loud and joyous laughs. Yeah, but his first step is a lot faster than mine ever was. Turk clapped his hands together. I wasn't going to say it, but it is, buddy. This kid's going to break some ankles.

DeAndre beamed. Slowed by knee injuries, he had never broken the starting lineup at Penn State. His football journey ended as a special teams player who had played garbage time after games were decided. Then he had come home, married Valerie, his high school sweetheart, and began his career in the Lancaster County Sheriff's Department. LaShawn had the speed, skill, and fire to take it to a higher level than he ever had, and so far, much better knees. Turk Jr. has got a strong arm himself, T. He could start if he keeps it up. He had picked his words carefully, but still overstated the case.

A tall, beefy kid, Turk Jr. had dominated in grade school, but the other kids caught up over time. Now the son of Mannheim's greatest QB was third string at best. Turk Jr. would likely never start. And if you weren't starting, you weren't going anywhere. DeAndre knew all this going into the year. But in the three practices the prior week, Turk Jr. looked worse than ever.

Turk knew it. The kid's got more heart than I ever did. Works at it every day, but he's laboring, just not sure it's going to happen for him. DeAndre leaned back, absorbing his friend's somber tone. He had known Turk Foster since third grade. Outside of recent months, there was no more relentless optimists about everything. Family, football, Mannheim, Pennsylvania, the country. But that Turk was gone, and DeAndre knew why. A harsh reality was hitting town hard these days. Like many,

the Fosters were struggling. Turk, along with a number of other Mannheim families, with a decision that would have been unthinkable only a year before. DeAndre ventured a tiny step into that area, one they never talked about. Did you get the visit? Turk let out a long sigh. Between us, Dee, we did.

And I've got to say, it's one of the most humiliating things we've ever been through. As he spoke, his son took part in a quarterback drill. Four different quarterbacks were taking snaps, dropping back, and then hitting receivers crossing the field 15 yards downfield. Turk watched Junior's every move as if it was the Super Bowl. The first two quarterbacks zipped the ball right into the receiver's hands. Then Turk Jr. took his snap. His drop back looked good, but then he threw behind the receiver and low.

The receiver spun backwards and reached for the errant throw, but the ball bounced off his fingertips and fell to the ground. Turk shook his head. Come on, son, you gotta hit the guy every time. DeAndre said silently. Turk would have never missed that throw, even as a sophomore. Did you guys get the visit? Turk asked. Nope. We declined the meeting. DeAndre's voice trailed off as he said it. Declining was a privilege.

It meant he and Valerie were on solid enough ground to say no to the deal that was being shopped around town by its largest employer. It was a tragic irony. In 2024, DeAndre had warned everyone he knew that the now president's agenda risked all their livelihoods. But with his job as a sheriff's deputy and Valerie's as a probation officer, they had stayed clear of the political and economic fire in line. For now. But many of the people who proudly voted for the president were getting hit the hardest. People like Turk.

I'm happy for you, D. You've made some good choices. And they're paying off. Mine haven't. Turk, the world's just turning upside down, and it's left a lot of people hanging. It's not your fault. Well, you're nice about it. But I can't say you didn't warn us.

DeAndre tensed up, surprised that Turk dipped a toe in the political water. They had had two big arguments before last year's election. Each time, DeAndre explained the far-right's clear plans to go after unions and workers. But Turk swore his president would look out for the working man. After the second argument grew heated, they agreed to stick to football and family until the politics settled down. But politics never did. And faster than he could have imagined,

DeAndre had been proven right as one bill after the next kneecapped workers and unions while siding with the billionaires who put the president in office. Even as consequences gutted main streets like Mannheim across Pennsylvania and the nation. DeAndre hadn't once brought it up with Turk. Until now. He's done some pretty bad things. And I'm sorry they're coming down on you.

Bad? Families like mine are the bullseye of the entire federal government, and I'll never understand it. Who benefits from destroying my family or our town? People in Mannheim didn't talk about their personal business, but it was a small town, so newspaper stories, Facebook posts, and word of mouth made pretty clear what was happening to workers like Turk and his wife Susie, a long-time nurse in the county hospital. A few years back, a private company took charge of all the nursing jobs to save money. Then in February, new workplace rules empowered those companies and the private equity firms that owned them to cut back far more aggressively than before.

The company slashed salaries, ripped away benefits, and required far more hours, unpredictable hours, to keep the cost of the actual doctors down. And since the last draconian bill in Washington, those added hours didn't even come with overtime. Worse, any nurse like Susie, whose spouse had health insurance, was booted off their old robust county health care plan. I feel you, man. It was already hard enough to raise three kids before. Turk's job as a union electrician had long been one of the better gigs in town. A skilled electrician made good money and stayed busy whenever the economy was doing well, as it had been for three years straight and most of the past 20.

Turk was one of the most well-trained and experienced electricians around so he was always busy taking on project after project. But the president's attack on the building and construction unions had decimated workers across the entire industry. A ban on prevailing wage pulled the rug out from under any contractor that used high-quality union guys like Turk. They were either converted to non-union shops or shutting down altogether. And that was crushing the livelihoods of guys like Turk. The few jobs they'd get were as independent contractors, making far less hourly than just months before.

We were solid, D. My work, her work, good health care. Now we're making half of what we did, and I can't make it up through overtime. He paused, sighing. The union's collapsing. Guys I've worked with for years are giving up summer looking for retail jobs, or doing Uber or DoorDash on the side.

And the hospital's fucking around with Valerie's hours so much, we can't even plan the most basic things as a family anymore the andre nodded he had heard the same thing from other friends in construction wages were down and hours were plummeting the quarterbacks came back on the field now throwing deep passes this time Junior lagged even worse than on the crosses. Damn, Turk uttered, as Junior underthrew a speedy receiver. He's just not cutting it. DeAndre cringed. This field was Turk's escape from all he was dealing with, so Junior's woes made it doubly worse. Turk returned to their plight. He had never opened up like this before. And we're getting killed on the cost of everything.

Killed. Well, we feel that too, man, DeAndre said. Hell, just to keep these guys on the field is out of control. You'd think that we attended some fancy country club and not a public high school. All Mannheim's parents were grousing about it. Federal money that used to flow Mannheim's way was being converted into vouchers for private schools. While this gave a discount to wealthy kids and fancy schools in the suburbs of Philly and Pittsburgh, federal funds for schools like Mannheim were drying up. The school board had to find other revenue streams. So they opted for sky-high fees for football and other popular sports.

The payment was due the 1st of August. Man, it's still operating under the old days where most of us could pay it, Turk said. But that extra $1,500 to play a game feels like a luxury. What the hell are we supposed to do with our two other boys? The middle school football cost $750 per player and Turk had twin 7th graders who looked to be stars in the making. You still have your health care, right? Turk looked at his friend, shaking his head. I couldn't get enough hours in June to qualify for my coverage. July's looking even worse,

and the cost of my drugs keeps going up. Trace insulin shots too. The players now lined up for wind sprints between the end zone and the 50. And would you believe it? The new Medicaid rules say we still make too much to be eligible. Loud claps sounded in DeAndre's ear as the metal bleachers shook. He turned to see Earl Chambers, a mid-level manager at Mannheim Foods. Earl charged down the stairs, two at a time, a shitting grin across his face. He had been smiling that way ever since some big Wall Street firm

had bought the longtime family business a few years back. Earl stopped in the row between them, sat down, rested a hand on each of their shoulders, huffing heavily from his short run, sweat darkening his armpits and upper chest of his blue button-down shirt. T&D, together again. Earl had been a scrawny freshman when they were seniors, but one of the smarter kids in the school.

After Lehigh, he had come home to be an accountant for Mannheim Foods. He also had a freshman in the school. Hey, Earl, DeAndre said, not thrilled by his bad timing. Turk looked straight ahead, even though the players were wrapping up a water break. How's the team looking this year, fellas? I hear LeSean is a beast. That he is, DeAndre said. Where's young Turk? Turk pointed to his son,

now tossing with another kid on the sideline as the starters walked back onto the field for a scrimmage. Wow, he's really filled out, starting to look like his old man. DeAndre and Turk tried to ignore Earl as they watched the field. Speaking of Turk Jr., we were wondering if you had a chance. Turk ripped his shoulder away from Earl's small hand and then waved him off. I told you this once before. We will not be pressured on this. We are weighing all the pluses and minuses, and we will make the best decision for Junior and our family. Until then, do me a favor and back off. DeAndre glared at Earl. You got a lot of nerve interrupting us to talk your business.

Get the hell out of here. Earl didn't flinch from the harsh words. He had the power now, especially over Turk. His grin was gone. We need to know by the end of the week. These are by far the best offers in the region, And most of the slots are now spoken for. He scampered back up the bleachers' stairs. Turk lowered his head, shook it slowly back and forth. Did I tell you? You sure did.

That's no shame. What are you going to do? Turk took in a deep breath. Susie and I have to cut back so much, we've already pulled the trigger on the reverse mortgage. But when we run the numbers, it still doesn't add up. We've lost too much income and have no way to make it up on our current salaries. And if the union collapses entirely, we'll be put out of the house

and our pension may crater with it. The head coach blew his whistle. Practice ended. Turk stood up, DeAndre followed him. They walked along the row where they had been sitting and down the eight steps to ground level. Turk was aging worse than DeAndre. Walking with a pronounced limp, broad shoulders sagging forward, his head hung down.

He looked nothing like the Turk Foster of his first 42 years. DeAndre put his arm around his friend and they crossed the track to get to the football sideline. Turk Foster of his first 42 years. DeAndre put his arm around his friend and they crossed the track to get to the football sideline. Turk's upper body tremored and he turned his face the other way. D, I feel like such a failure, he said, close to a sob. Think of you and me back in the day, ripping it up on this field, winning games and pressing girls. But kids like Junior, they're out here trying to make throws and blocks while their whole household is crashing all around them.

I can see the pressure weighing on Junior. On every play, it's just not right. I'm failing my own son. Turk, you're not a failure. You were kicking ass. Susie, too. This is bigger than you and me. The country is failing you, not the other way around.

Well, it sure doesn't feel that way. I failed my family. DeAndre knew Turk too well. His tone and words gave him away. He had already made up his mind. Accepting the meeting with Earl Chambers of Mannheim Foods showed he was looking for options to make more money. No doubt squeezing in hours in the afternoon and weekends. And he was watching these practices not for the conversation,

to help make a big decision. As Earl has said, a lot of other families had already committed to taking up the offer from Mannheim Foods. Don't let that little peep squeak pressure you, Turk. Still got time to decide. Turk shook his head. I don't see a way out. We need to make more and pay less, not the other way around, and this is the only option that does both. His voice caught as he said it. He was done talking about it. See you tomorrow, D. DeAndre patted him on the back. Love you, brother. Lashon was huddled with Coach on the far end of the field, so DeAndre headed that way.

Turk Jr. was standing at midfield, helmet in hand, sweating. DeAndre watched as Turk approached him. Father and son exchanged quiet words, both of them frowning. Then Junior's head hung down like his dad's had earlier. DeAndre's chest ached at the sight. That kid had spent his entire life living in his dad's footsteps, wanting to make him proud, but it was an impossible task. His dad was the greatest quarterback in the history of Mannheim.

No son should have to live up to that. But DeAndre knew their grim looks were driven by a far more painful conversation. Words so painful Turk couldn't even utter them directly to DeAndre, as close as they were. DeAndre's dad, who had grown up in eastern Ohio, used to tell him about the families who had sent their kids into the mines just to put food on the table. DeAndre had seen the old photos, little solemn, blackened faces capturing a world long ago,

a history he had always assumed would never be repeated. But thanks to the new administration, it was back, perfectly captured by the somber image of a father and son gathered at Mannheim's 50-yard line. Mannheim Foods was struggling to fill dangerous jobs in their processing plant. No adults were willing to take. New federal rules allowed them to bring in teenagers to fill those jobs. And they had spent recent weeks going door to door, offering those jobs to the town's

newly struggling families. And everything about today's conversation made it clear. Turk Jr. was about to give up football to take one of the last team jobs available. DeAndre reached LaShawn, shook Coach's hand, and hugged his son tightly. Great practice, son. Great practice.

I'm so proud of you. When we come back after a short break, this story continues from a different perspective. This time from two top executives at a hedge fund trying to figure out how to squeeze every dollar out of their workforce while they're playing golf at a certain golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated,

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big

way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug thing.

Benny the butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them.

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. Later in the podcast, the author David Pepper will tie each element of the story you just heard back to specific references in Project 2025 and Trump's own words and dangerous promises. But first, the second part of the story told by Fisher Stevens. In addition to a distinguished acting career,

Stevens is an Academy Award-winning documentary producer. And Stevens tells the story here of a weekend golf game between the boss of a hedge fund and his scheming human resources executive. July, Capital Monthly. Bruce Lipton by Calvin Stegman. Bedminster, New Jersey. Shit! Bruce Lipton yelled out as his ball sailed off to the right and into the deepest part of the sand trap. He strolled back to the golf cart, where bespectacled Dudley Brennan waited in the driver's seat. I can't catch a break today, Bruce muttered, as Dudley pulled away. They were on the fifth hole of the Bedminster, New Jersey course,

where they played every Saturday morning. It was a working golf game, and Bruce's score often depended on the news Dudley delivered over their 18 holes together. Dudley laughed. Yeah, I think I may be distracting you. Bruce looked over at him, grinning. Nah, with all the cost savings you're telling me about, you'd think I'd be playing better, not worse. Bedminster was rarefied air for a kid who'd grown up in a small mining town in western Pennsylvania. Back home, football

was king. Golf was a rich person's sport, and no one knew any rich people. So Bruce only picked up golf later in life, when a mentor in his first banking job told him big deals often got done on the links. Growing up in Greenwich, son of a banker, Dudley Brennan was the scratch golfer of the two. As he usually did, he'd outdriven his boss on the fifth hole. He now pulled up to his ball, which lay smack in the middle of the fairway, and took out his seven iron. After two warm-up swings, he arced it perfectly onto the green, the ball stopping eight feet from the hole. Jesus, Dudley, Bruce yelled out. You really want to show up the boss this way?

Well, with the news I'm giving you today, Dudley said as he returned the club to his bag, I'm not worried about that. Dudley sat back down in the driver's seat and headed to the sand trap to the right of the green. Well, it needs to keep getting better or I may fire you for insubordination. Bruce's ticket out of Western PA had been getting into Wharton, which put him on the fast track and introduced him to an elite, moneyed world he'd only seen in movies. His blue-collar work ethic, a fierce competitiveness, and a knack for finance landed him his first job on Wall Street. At 42 years old, he got the call to run Bald Eagle Capital, one of the fastest-growing private equity firms on Wall Street. It now stood at $60 billion and

growing, with direct control over 92 businesses employing tens of thousands of workers across America. Bruce was an old man next to Dudley. Only 35, six years out of Harvard's B school, Dudley was already a bald eagle vice president. Talent rose quickly in private equity. Here you go, Dudley said as he pulled up to the trap. Good luck getting out of that mess. Bruce groaned as he lifted his 6'1", 230-pound frame out of the cart. He'd let his youthful muscle atrophy over time,

and now the weight in his midsection was taking a toll on his lower spine. His most recent steroid shot was starting to wear off. He grabbed his sand wedge and lumbered down into the bunker. It was a terrible lie, with half of the ball buried under the sand. If it stayed that way, his next shot would be another disaster. He glanced up. Dudley was looking toward the green and not down. Bruce moved quickly, tapping the ball with the end of his wedge to free it from the sand.

Seconds later, he hit the ball comfortably onto the green, clutching both fists as he walked back to the cart. Best shot of the day, Dudley said. My good news is finally seeping through. Bruce sat back in the cart and gave Dudley a high five. Keep it coming, he said as they drove off. The two met for golf every Saturday, not because they'd have a competitive round. They wouldn't. They met because Dudley was the HR and regulatory guru of Ball Eagle, and no job mattered more for a firm like Ball Eagle or the man scoring millions to run it. But in the age of private equity, the HR role was the opposite of soft, as crucial as it got. Because when Bald Eagle oversaw 92 private companies and assured investors big returns on those investments, they had to squeeze every penny

possible out of that portfolio. And often, the lowest hanging fruit to pluck was in the collective workforce of all those companies. Before they scooped up these businesses, the workers usually made too much, worked too little, earned too many benefits, and required too much in pension payments, all of which took away from the bottom line and the best interests of their new owners. Sure, if you were a small-town executive and ran that business amid neighbors who worked for you, squeezing out all those costs would be too difficult, unsustainable, you were too close to it all. But from the safe distance of the Big Apple,

across 92 companies and thousands of workers, endless opportunities presented themselves. In fact, unlocking those personnel savings and inefficiencies and converting assets such as pensions for investor benefit were the key tactics to success. Lately, the only way to win at the private equity game. And nobody better mastered how to squeeze out all those savings than Dudley Brennan, bald eagle's HR genius. Dudley holed his ball in one putt. Bruce needed two, and the two drove off to the sixth hole. A foursome in front of them was just teeing off, so they sat and waited. So we're going to save that much? Huh?

The new administration is a gift that just keeps on giving. The truth is, it's a matter of how much we want to save. It's totally up to us and how aggressive we want to be. Bruce gripped his putter with both hands. I feel like this is what everyone said eight years ago, and not much changed. Dudley laughed. Oh, it's changed now, trust me. Getting rid of diversity requirements? What does that even get us? Dudley had spent the prior hole filling Bruce in on how, to accommodate the push from Washington, they'd eliminated any

trace of DEI up and down the bald eagle totem pole. Bruce shrugged it off, knowing he'd always hired the best of the best and that the wide diversity in the company reflected that. Well, it saves us a few jobs, but also reduces liability if any of our companies discriminate. But I agree, that's not one of the biggies when it comes to saving money. Well, what is the biggie? I sent you the memo on the unions. Oh yeah, I saw that. So you really think unions are in danger across the board? Come on, I've heard all that before. A healthy share of Bald Eagle's portfolio comprised private manufacturing companies in mid-sized towns across the country, many in the Midwest, some hospitals and health centers too.

They also owned staffing companies that gave them flexibility to plug in low-cost people to their various businesses. Among these holdings, there were huge savings to be gained by slashing wages and health care in these places. Most of these older businesses were also fat and full-time workers when independent contractors were so much cheaper. Huge gains could also be made through more efficient scheduling, including making a lot more workers part-time. There was one other benefit to being in smaller towns. The jobs Bald Eagle controlled were the best around. So even if workers had to take a hit, most would stay, largely because they had nowhere else

to go. In the South, where political friends had destroyed the unions, that's how it had played out. And they'd stuck gold on numerous investments. But in the Midwest and East, the damn unions kept getting in the way, gumming up many of their best strategies. For four years, Dudley had hired the nation's best law firms to boot the unions, but it had only sparked backlash and tougher negotiations. Several strikes and their tactics to block new unions had generated horrible press, along with hefty fines from the National Labor Relations Board. Bruce was livid about all the legal bills they'd been paying with so little progress. This time it's different, Dudley grinned as he answered. The new laws just crush unions. They're talking about just eliminating public sector unions

entirely, and they're watering down private sector ones that are such a thorn in our side. The last of the four sit in front of them stepped up to the tee, taking a few practice swings. What do they call them again? Bruce asked, remembering the memo's description of new worker organizations. E-I-O's, Employee Involvement Organizations. But they have no teeth. They can't even collectively bargain. So what's the point of them? Bruce asked, confused. He'd actually grown up in a union household back in PA. His dad was a miner, so collective bargaining was a cherished term in their home and their town. If a politician dared mess with it, they'd be tossed in the next

election. The point, Dudley asked, grinning, the point is that we will set the terms of their employment, and they have no real power to push back. Bruce's stomach quivered. He could hear his dad cussing like a sailor in his mind at Dudley's words and at Bruce for not pushing back. But as he had throughout his career, he had to keep his private equity hat on. Being the son of a coal miner had shaped him in so many ways, but he couldn't let his dad's conscience sway his decisions now. If he had, he'd never have made it here in the first place. And if he did now, he'd be out on the street in months. The era of conscience-driven business was gone. Holding back meant you lost. It's that good? He asked, looking forward. It really is. Outside of the name itself,

Dudley chuckled, holding up his finger as quotation marks. Employee involvement organizations. Sounds like something Orwell would have come up with. They really do, Bruce said, standing up and pulling his driver out. But just as good, once we free a workplace of a union, they're gone for good. The new rules make it harder to start unions in the first place and easier for us to crack down on workers when they try to. Bruce clenched his jaw. When he was 11, Dad had spent almost every hour above ground convincing his fellow workers to form a new union. Dad and his work buddies would cram in their small living room to plan things out, while mom handed out hot dogs and pop. Dad was tense for what felt like a

year. Some of his living room guests lost their jobs, and others even got beat up. But they'd won. After the big victory, things got better for him and his two brothers. A couple of years later, they moved into a bigger house. For the first time, they began to take yearly vacations. He would never have gotten into Wharton without the union job dad fought for. Done with their drives, the group in front carted down the trail. Bruce and Dudley stepped up to the tee. Both hit solid drives, then got back in the car. Dudley hit the gas and drove them onto the trail. So that takes care of the unions, Bruce said. Do you really think we can 1099 a quarter of our workforce?

Converting employees to independent contractors generated instant savings, lower wages, less liability, far more leverage over these workers on everything, including ours. No more health benefits or pension payments, and the workers themselves shouldered all the taxes. At least, Dudley said, like everything else, we can go as far as we want to go. Pretty soon, the entire workforce is going to run like Uber and DoorDash. You know, the gig economy. That's like a revolution, Bruce said. Told ya, Dudley said, pulling up to Bruce's ball. Wait until you hear about our options for young workers.

Bruce shook his head, getting out his five wood. I'm not sure I want to know. Seconds later, he shanked his shot, the ball careening off into deep rough well to the right of the green. Shit, he yelled, then walked back to the cart and sat down. So, what's the story? He asked. Well, you know how we've struggled to get people to work in our food processing facilities? You mean the ones we shut down because of the immigration crackdown? Bruce asked, a look of disgust on his face. Well, I wouldn't say shut down. We just eliminated some shifts. Well, whatever you call it, it's killing us. Well, the new rules say that in facilities like ours,

where it's dangerous and there are worker shortages, we can start to bring in young adults. Bruce turned toward Dudley. Young adults? Like, how young is young? It says teenagers, so looks like as young as 13. Bruce cringed. His oldest son was 13. 13 years old? In a meatpacking plant?

In his later years, Dad told stories of when he and his friends left school to work in the mines. Just kids. It started as shifts after school. But as they got older, most of them left school outright. The only kids who made it out of Western PA were the ones who were lucky enough to stay in school, dad used to say, which for generations was very few of them, especially in meatpacking plants, slaughterhouses too, and places like that. You know, where we're having trouble finding workers. For jobs that are deemed dangerous for adults. Dudley stopped the cart at his ball, stepped out with an iron. Bruce, still seated, squinted. He reached for a towel and wiped

sweat from his forehead. Dangerous for adults, but okay for kids? Back in the day, Dad used to explain, the mine bosses liked the kids more than the adults. They did what they were told. Questioned obvious danger less often. Plus, they could fit in smaller places, which helped deep in a cave. Dudley hit a perfect shot onto the green, then returned to the cart grinning as he patted Bruce on his right shoulder. Our plant managers are already recruiting the parents to sign their kids up for shifts in the fall. These families will make so much more money when their kids can do real work like this. Think about the work ethic we'll be giving the next generation. A knot grabbed hold of Bruce's stomach.

Whoa, whoa, Tiger. I haven't signed off on all this yet. Oh, I know. That's why I'm briefing you. He drove in the direction of the deep grass where Bruce's ball lay. But I'm telling you, everyone's moving fast. If we don't keep up, we simply won't be competing. It's a new day.

New day. Bruce recalled photos of coal-stained teenagers in mines he found in dad's boxes after he died. Dad in the center of one, arms around two of his buddies, all three victims of black lung disease. Sounds pretty risky. Kids among all that equipment? Dudley chuckled again. Well, that's another one of the changes. They're creating exemptions in how worker safety is enforced. If we structure things right, we think a good number of our companies will fall under those waivers. So no fines, even if there is a problem. They pulled up to the edge of the long grass. Dudley pointed to his right. I think it went in right around there, about ten feet back. Thanks.

Bruce trod back into the grass, using his seven iron to shove away the tall grass. Distracted, he walked past his ball three times before finding it. And once he hit it, it shot far over the green and into a bunker. He sat back in the cart without saying a word. What else? He asked. Hey, Bruce, don't let it get to you. That was a tough shot. What's next? He asked again. As you know, especially with shortages caused by the deportation, we're getting crushed in overtime costs right now across the board. Yeah, I've seen those reports. Well, that problem is about to disappear too. How's that?

They reached the new bunker. Let me count the ways. First of all, if you make more than $35,000 a year in a whole lot of places our companies are? No more overtime. Period. But then there are other, sneakier rule changes that let us cut back overtime costs on the others. Creative scheduling. Handing out vacation time as opposed to pay. You name it. Bruce again thought of dad. He'd work extra hours in the mine to get time and a half, build up Bruce and his brother's college savings accounts. I've got my people working up different options for you and we will save millions on this alone. And everyone else is doing the same? Absolutely. At that conference in the Caymans last week, we shared best practices on how to take advantage

of these new rules. Insane what people are coming up with. Again, if we don't keep up, investors will go elsewhere. I'm telling you, they expect it now. We have little room for error. Dudley looked over at Bruce awkwardly. Well? Well what? Are you going to knock that ball out of the sand or what? Bruce had forgotten about the golf game. He stood up, loped into the trap, and hit the ball 10 feet from the hole. Nice, Dudley said. Thanks. Instead of riding in the cart, Bruce walked. He two-putted to finish with a bogey. Dudley hit one putt to birdie. They awaited on the foursome behind the tee of the seventh hole. The clubhouse was not far behind it, so there was a din in the background of golfers wrapping up or starting their day. Mostly bankers and private equity guys like they were, surely enjoying this

new era. But Bruce, there's one twist on the overtime stuff that might raise an issue. Wait, you mean they didn't go for broke on something? Actually, they're going for broke on something else. What's that? They call it the Sabbath rest exception. If people have to work on a Sunday, then they get time and a half after all. Okay, well, we can avoid that, I think. Sure. And there are some exceptions, so we're looking into those. Good.

Figure it. Bruce! A voice called out from behind them. It was a guy from the foursome behind them, finishing up the prior hole. Bruce stood up as a slim guy with a mustache, white golf shirt, and blue slacks walked his way. Dudley whispered to him, that's Max Salmon, runs Gorilla Capital, and was at the Cayman Conference, huge supporter of the president, even when others were getting cold feet. That's right, Bruce said. Like Bald Eagle, Gorilla was growing fast. Aggressive as hell.

He and Max had overlapped at the same investment bank in their 20s. They shook hands, Bruce applying the iron grip he was famous for. How goes it? Max asked, grimacing, then shook hands with Dudley. All good. Dudley here has been filling me in on all the ways our friend in the White House is helping us cut personnel costs. Max grinned from ear to ear. Why do you think I went all in on him? He may be a little dark at times. Half of what he says is insane, but what do I care if the guy is making us all a shit ton of money? You do a lot of construction, don't you? Yes, I had six non-union companies and picked up three more right after the election. Eliminating prevailing wage has been an absolute godsend. We've won every bid by slashing the shit out of wages. He elbowed Dudley. Doesn't hurt to have trained teens on these jobs

either. If you pick the right ones, they're fearless, versus the grown-ups, like little soldiers, but on job sites. Bruce looked at Dudley, ignoring the teenager line. Prevailing wage is gone too? Oh yeah, Dudley said. They got rid of that right away, along with the project labor agreements. Union shops and those building trades unions are cratering. He looked back at Max. Best part is, we can 1099 so much at this point. I mean, they're independent contractors after all. Of course they are, Max replied, then looked back at Bruce. This guy seems like a killer. Careful, or I'll steal him from you. Bruce played along. Not on my watch. The group in front drove off in

their cart, leaving the T open for Bruce and Dudley. Looks like we're up, Bruce said. Enjoy, Max looked back at Dudley, winking. You know the best part of all this, don't you? What's that? But we only talk about this internally, of course. Of course, Dudley said. Half our investors are pension funds. Retired teachers and firefighters, miners and autoworkers. Dudley nodded. Yes, we just landed a major investment from retired Minnesota state employees. Nice. So it's workers like them whose money is being invested in all the stuff we're talking about. Decades of their money. That's pretty wild when you think about it. For the first time, Bruce felt downright nauseous. Dad paid into his pension fund for decades. When his lungs went south and he had to retire early, the health care from that pension kept him alive a few more years. My 90-year-old mom still lives off that pension, Bruce mumbled

out loud, unintentionally. Mom's payments supported a modest lifestyle and covered her health care. Bruce often offered to help her more, but she refused. She never said why. Max looked his way. That's great. Thank her for us, will you? And she's making a killing because of our new president. Dudley and Max slapped high fives. Take care, guys. Bruce stepped up to the tee with his driver. Dudley has stepped behind him. I told you, firms like Gorilla are going all in on all this stuff. It's a new world, and sky's the limit. But anyone who doesn't grab these opportunities is going to struggle. I hear you, Bruce said.

Take a step back, will you? Bruce stared down at the ball, but struggled to concentrate. Max fucking Salmon, laughing about Dad's pension payments and Mom's benefits. Of course, Bald Eagle invested a lot of pension dollars as well, in similar ways, but to be so fucking crass about it. Awful. He took a practice swing, then let out a deep breath. But Dudley was right. They ran one of Wall Street's biggest private equity funds. If he didn't push in all the direction the Ivy League twerp was laying out, they'd go down. It was a new world, and they had to compete.

Bruce stood over the ball, spread his feet, then swung as hard as he could and shanked the ball completely. It sailed off to the left, flying dangerously close to the clubhouse before rolling onto another fairway. Bruce slammed the driver to the ground as Dudley scurried back to the cart and returned with another ball. Here you go. We all get one mulligan. Bruce waved him off and walked to the cart. Dudley, move forward on all you talked about. Go as far as you need to go. Great, boss. Will do. But I'm done here.

This is just not my day. Bruce plucked his bag from the cart, circled around the busy clubhouse, and walked to his car. Well, while the stories in this episode are over, we're not done with Trump's Project 2025. In a moment, the author David Pepper will tie the real policies in Project 2025 and Trump's own words to these fictional stories. Now, looking ahead, the next episode of Trump's Project 2025, up close and personal, Chapter 8, will focus on the all-out assault on public education from the pages of Project 2025. It's not just about

abolishing the Department of Education, friends. It's also about starving funds from public schools by the unlimited and unregulated use of vouchers for private schools. And also book banning and the whitewashing of American history. In a for-profit private school funded by vouchers, a group of parents are appalled at the curriculum. From her bag, Wendy took out a history book. Pictures of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and the current president were on the cover. She flipped to a page where she'd stuck a yellow sticky note. Did you know that most slave owners treated their slaves well, she asked sarcastically. Oh, and this is what they're teaching Jamal about the civil rights movement. She looked down and read

out loud. Most black and white southerners had long lived together in harmony until power-hungry individuals stirred up the people. Marcus shook his head. Someone should tell my grandparents about all that harmony. They didn't get the memo back in Macon. Honey, show them the KKK part. Wendy turned the page, then read out loud again. The Ku Klux Klan in some areas of the country tried to be a means of reform. She paused, shaking, using the symbol of the cross. Klan targets were bootleggers, wife beaters, and immoral movies.

Unreal, Corey said. These quotes are from actual, not fictional textbooks that have been used to teach American children in recent years. This outrageous rewriting of history could spread from red states to the entire country in a second Trump term guided by Project 2025. Listen to the next episode of Trump's Project 2025 Up Close and Personal, the attack on public education in your podcast app or at 2025pod.com. If you recognize the voice of the great actor Don Cheadle, you're right. He narrates the next story in our series. Trump's Project 2025 Up Close and Personal is available on all the different podcast apps and at 2025pod.com. Again, we ask you to please subscribe, review, and most importantly,

please share this podcast series with your friends and relatives who may not realize just how dangerous and disastrous the second Trump term in Project 2025 would be. We think that sharing this episode in the series would be most effective with people who've not yet been motivated to vote or don't know how they're going to vote. When we hear all this talk about undecided voters, the largest group of them are undecided about whether to vote at all. And again, we think they can be persuaded to cast their ballot for Vice President Harris or at least not vote for Donald Trump. A program note, if you missed any of these episodes, the first six chapters are in your podcast app. Now, while the people and the stories in this series are fictional, as we remind you, the policies that would bring real harm

to each of their lives and the country are distressingly real. Next, after a break, the author of our series, David Pepper, lays out the connection between our stories and Trump's own promises. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glod. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. Got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things.

Stories matter and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. While this story is fiction, it is based on actual policies in Project 2025 and on Trump's

own words. Here's author David Pepper with the specific references. Chapter 7, author's note by David Pepper. One of the most overlooked parts of Project 2025 is its brutal attack on workers and unions, as well as steps that would open up the door for far more discrimination in the workplace. In fact, the 37-page section on the Department of Labor is so chock-full of gut-wrenching changes and open-ended repeals of laws that have protected workers for decades, it's hard to know where to begin and where the damage would end. But let's start with the fact that Project 2025, on page 595, comes right out and says that teenagers should take up hazardous jobs. That's right. As the section says, quote, some young adults show an interest in inherently

dangerous jobs. Current rules forbid many young people, even if their family is running the business, from working in such jobs. This results in worker shortages and dangerous fields and often discourages otherwise interested young workers from trying the more dangerous job. With parental consent and proper training, certain young adults should be allowed to learn and work in more dangerous occupations. This would give a green light to training programs and build skills in teenagers who may want to work in these fields. That's the end of the quote. And in case that wasn't clear enough, here's the next sentence.

Quote, Department of Labor should amend its hazard order regulations to permit teenage workers access to work in regulated jobs with proper training and parental consent. End quote. This dark and disturbing push parallels states across the country, which have also been repealing child labor laws for years now. In states like Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, new laws or pending laws are allowing companies to hire children without work permits and allow children to work longer hours under more dangerous conditions in places like construction sites, meatpacking plants, and automobile factories. NBC News found that, quote, the number of children working illegally has skyrocketed across all industries,

according to the Labor Department, nearly doubling since 2019. More than 800 child labor investigations in 47 states are ongoing across industries, according to the agency, end quote. No surprise, injuries and deaths are resulting, including a 16-year-old dying in a poultry processing plant in Mississippi. Of course, Project 2025's solution to this crisis is to render legal activity, which has up to now been illegal. But repealing child labor laws is just the tip of the iceberg of what Project 2025 proposes for the workplace. Early on, Project 2025 asked Congress to consider making public unions illegal. On page 82, it says Congress should also consider whether public sector unions

are appropriate in the first place. The bipartisan consensus up until the middle of the 20th century held that these unions were not compatible with constitutional government. After more than half a century of experience with public sector union frustrations of good government management, it is hard to avoid reaching the same conclusion, end quote. So there go teachers unions, firefighter unions, police unions, and all other unions that serve the public. But that's just the start. The plan later criticizes what it calls America's one-size-fits-all approach to unions that undermines worker representation. That's on page 599 and proposes an alternative to unions that it calls employee involvement organizations. They would be non-union. They'd lead to volunteer cooperation with employers, which basically means

the end of collective bargaining and the end of unions. The plan also proposes loosening the prohibitions on employers from cracking down on protected union organizing activity. It eliminates the card check option for union elections, which has led to a lot more unions of late, which is good for America's middle class. Project 2025 also articulates the case that federal prevailing wage for private sector unions should also be repealed. It also calls for the, quote, end of all mandatory project labor agreement requirements. The end of prevailing wage and project labor agreements would be a gut punch to private sector unions in the trades and construction industries across the country. Finally, tucked away in the plan is a whopper,

quote, legislation allowing waivers for states and local governments to encourage experimentation and reform efforts at the state and local levels, Congress should pass legislation allowing waivers from federal laws like the NLRA and FLSA under certain conditions, end quote. So basically, this would allow states to ignore bedrock pro-worker protections, opening the door to just about anything, including averting minimum wage laws, overtime rules, and all aspects of collective bargaining. But believe it or not, we are still just getting started. The plan then proposes sweeping change to workplace regulations that it calls woke, but in fact, the regulations it goes after, many of which have been in place for

decades, just a few. Project 2025 would weaken overtime rules in all sorts of ways. Project 2025 would loosen the definition of independent contractors, which allows for wage theft and the misclassification of actual employees as independent contractors, which means taking away benefits, taxes not being paid, etc. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the changes simply to the independent contractor rules would cost American workers more than $3 billion per year. Then there's the provision to basically get rid of worker safety in many cases. Here's the proposal on page 594. Congress and the Department of Labor should exempt small business first-time

non-willful violators from fines issued by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, end quote. So that creates a huge loophole against protections for worker safety. As part of the same types of changes, Project 2025 would also gut federal efforts to curb discrimination and would create exceptions that would allow discrimination in the workplace. For example, the plan would eliminate the collection of employment data on race and ethnicity, which the plan itself acknowledges is the very data that allows suits for discrimination to be brought. The plan would also weaken other processes and rules that ensure non-discrimination in the workplace. At the same time, on page 584, Project 2025 rescinds regulations that prohibit discrimination based upon, quote, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and sex characteristics. Two pages later, the plan calls for an executive order making clear,

quote, that religious employers are free to run their businesses according to their religious beliefs, general non-discrimination laws notwithstanding. That's on page 586. So bottom line, Project 2025 reopens the door to all sorts of discrimination in the workplace. In summary, as Mother Jones points out on the labor section, quote, If Donald Trump wins the White House in 2024, loyalists have written a battle plan for how to change labor laws and regulations, make it harder for workers to form unions, get easier for companies to classify employees as independent contractors,

and ban the government from collecting race-based employment data in the name of stopping anti-discrimination lawsuits, end quote. These are enormous changes, folks, and they will have a huge impact across the nation. Do whatever you can to keep this from happening. Trump's Project 2025 Up Close and Personal is available on all the different podcast apps and at 2025pod.com. And now we'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode. Wendell Pierce and Fisher Stevens, who read Chapter 7, and others who contributed character voices.

Sound design by Marilis Ernst and John Moser. Trump's Project 2025 Up Close and Personal is written by David Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jopeltier, and Jay Feldman, and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and the Bill Press Pod. This is an iHeart Podcast.